Miami wants elite Missouri pass-rusher to contribute immediately.
DAVIE — In their search for immediate help on defense, the Dolphi ns dra f t e d def e ns ive end Charles Harris from Missouri.
“I’m not functioning right now,” he said of his excitement level moments after Miami selected him. “I get to that quarterback and I ’ m go i ng to c ause pre s - sure, without a doubt. I’ve got a h e a r t a n d a drive. I ’ m just trying to ball.”
Harris, 6-foot3, 253 pounds, h a s b e e n r e g a r d e d a s one of the elite pass-rushers in this year’s draft class. He had 61 tackles, including nine sacks, for Missouri last season.
The Dolphins have five-time Pro Bowler Cameron Wake and newly re-signed veteran Andre Branch as their starting defensive ends for the upcoming season. They also have backup William Hayes, who arrived in a trade last month.
Nonetheless, Harris was too impressive to bypass.
“We love the pass rush he gives us,” general manager Chris Grier said. “It’s a position where you can never have enough in this league with the way the game is being played.
“He’ll be in the rotation. We envision him being in the top four. ... You can never have enough rushers.”
Miami took Harris over several strong options. Most notably, Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and Hurricanes tight end David Njoku were still available.
Though Jeffffrey Loria has agreed to sell the Marlins to a group led by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, it’s obviously contingent not only on MLB approval but also on Bush fulfifilling his assurance that he will be able to raise the cash needed to cover the $1.3 billion price, which has been agreed to by both parties.
And according to t wo sources, Bush is still working to raise that money.
One source in contact with the commissioner’s offiffice said he was told that Bush c o n t i n u e s t o look for investors.
A prominent S o u t h F l o r i d a resident said he was approached by a Bush associate this week, asking if he would invest in Bush’s ownership group.
According to someone briefed on the deal, Bush has assured the Marlins that he and Jeter will have the investors to fifinance the purchase. Both are investing an unknown amount of their own money, but not nearly enough on their own to reach the asking price.
The Marli ns a re under t he impression that Bush and Jeter — who both have lots of deep-pocketed friends and associates — will be able to fifinance the deal, according to an MLB offifficial. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be moving ahead with them.
A person approached by Bush about investing in the Marlins mentioned three wealthy South Florida-based Bush associates — health care mogul Mike Fernandez, tech entrepreneur Manny Medina and real estate developer Armando Codina — as people he expected have been or would be approached by Bush about investing in the Marlins.
Fernandez told The Herald that he hasn’t been contacted and will not be investing in the Marlins. Medina declined to respond to Marlins drop second straight to end road trip,